This lecture (in English) will be held Wednesday Feb. 15 at 7:00 at Lakeland University in Ryogoku, Tokyo. It will also be streamed via Zoom.

"Can Language Save a Nation? Should Japan learn from Hungary's past success in increasing its population through inclusive language policies?" presented by Andrew Horvat

  

Nineteenth century Hungary gave citizenship to anyone willing to learn Hungarian. Immigrants facing persecution in neighboring countries sought refuge in Hungary where discrimination was less severe. One of Europe's poorest nations in the early 1800s, Hungary became an economic powerhouse and partner of Austria in the Austro-Hungarian Empire thanks in large part to the hard work of its grateful immigrant population. But success turned into tragedy after defeat in WWI. Today, Japan has five-million fewer citizens than 15 years ago. What positive and negative lessons can Japan learn from the Hungarian experience as Japanese leaders seek solutions to population aging and decline?

 

Andrew Horvat, Senior Fellow at the Centre for Japanese Research at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, is a journalist turned academic. From the 1970s to 90s, he was the Tokyo-based correspondent for the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times, the London Independent and American Public Radio. He has served as a member of the Asia Foundation, he directed Stanford University's overseas studies program in Kyoto and was a visiting professor at Josai International University. Horvat has advised the Japan Foundation on Japanese language policy and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation on exchanges with Central European countries. He is the author of several popular books on language learning and has translated works by Japanese novelist Abe Kobo. 

 

-To attend the event in person, there is no need to register. For a map and directions to Lakeland's Ryogoku campus, see our website: https://luj.lakeland.edu/contact

**Our in-person guests are asked to follow the usual masking and social-distancing health protocols

--To join on Zoom, please register here (before 5PM on the day of the event). You will be emailed a link that afternoonhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/1N1lxfdhsy8EXYMOlVt8UKhYnhXxNBpsMc05FNsQavhk/edit

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Roger Grabowski, Jr.
Assistant Professor of General Studies
Lakeland University Japan